Wake Forest Volleyball Suffers Pair of Defeats to Dayton and No. 22 LSU

Sept. 9, 2006

DAYTON, Ohio - The Wake Forest volleyball team finished a challenging weekend at the Marriott Flyer Invitational with a pair of three-game losses to Dayton and No. 22 LSU. Dayton defeated Wake Forest 30-14, 30-23, 30-23, while LSU downed the Demon Deacons 30-19, 30-18, 30-17.

With the losses, Wake Forest falls to 2-4. Dayton improves to 6-3 with the win, while LSU moves its overall record to 8-1. The Deacs finished the weekend tournament 0-3 after falling in five games to Indiana on Friday.

Against Dayton, who received 23 votes in the latest AVCA Top 25 poll, senior Lauren Peterson hit a career-best .611 with 12 kills and just one error in 18 attempts. Peterson's previous best hitting game came last season against Iowa when she hit .538.

Redshirt sophomore Jessica Furlong joined Peterson with double-digit kills, as she posted 10 in the match.

Junior Michael Faulkner led the defensive effort with nine digs, while senior Natasha Schaefer chipped in eight.

Freshman Dylan Faulkner dished out 31 assists against the Flyers.

Redshirt sophomore Natalie Mullikin led the Deacs with a pair of block assists.

In game one against Dayton, Wake Forest held its only lead early at 2-1 before the Flyers used a 17-4 run to pull away and seal the 30-14 win.

In game two, the Demon Deacons played the Flyers close in the early going until the home squad pulled away midway through the game. Holding a 9-7 lead, Dayton used a 10-4 run to increase its lead to 19-13. UD held onto its sizable lead for the rest of the game to earn the 30-23 win.

Dayton never trailed in game three, as it opened up an early 10-4 lead. The Deacs pulled within four points late in the game at 20-16, but in the end the Flyers were able to hold them off for the 30-23 win.

Against LSU, Furlong and Peterson led Wake Forest with 10 kills apiece. Furlong was two digs shy of her second double-double on the weekend, ending the match with eight digs.

Michael Faulkner served as the Deacons' libero against the Tigers and finished with 10 digs.

Senior Jenna Doane and Mullikin each had three block assists, while junior Jackie Lucas chipped in two block assists.

Dylan Faulkner dished out 28 assists in the loss.

In game one, the Tigers used a 15-5 run to break a 2-2 tie and pull away from the Deacs. The closest Wake Forest got the rest of the way was a six-point deficit at 24-18, but LSU held on for the 30-19 victory.

The Tigers hit .462 in the first game, recording 22 kills with four errors in 39 attempts.

In game two, the Tigers never trailed as they scored the game's first four points. LSU continued to pull away from Wake Forest before earning the 30-18 victory.

Wake Forest held an early 6-3 lead in game three before LSU used an 8-1 run to take its first lead of the game at 11-7. The Tigers never let the Deacs get within striking distance, as LSU took the 30-17 win.

Wake Forest returns to action next weekend for its home opener. The Deacs will host George Washington, Davidson and Winthrop in the Black and Gold Challenge. Wake will take on GWU on Friday at 7 p.m. and then face Davidson at 12:30 p.m. and Winthrop at 7 p.m. on Saturday.